Things couldn’t have gone better for the Philadelphia Eagles in their regular-season finale, with third-string quarterback Tanner McKee stepping in to deliver a bravura performance in a 20-19 win over the New York Giants while almost all of the Eagles’ stars sat out in a game that had no impact on their playoff fate.
At the same time, things couldn’t have gone worse for the Eagles’ NFC Wild Card opponent, the Green Bay Packers, in a disheartening 24-22 loss to the Chicago Bears in their regular-season finale that saw quarterback Jordan Love and wide receiver Christian Watson both exit the game with injuries.
The loss dropped the Packers into the No. 7 seed, where they’ll travel to face the No. 2 seed Eagles.
Watson appeared to suffer a non-contact injury to his knee and had to be carted off the field. Love appeared to hurt his elbow and while he was not ruled out, he never returned to the game as Malik Willis played the rest of the game.
“Love was not ruled out but never returned to the game, although he was seen on the sideline throwing the football,” ESPN’s Rob Demovsky wrote on January 5. “… Watson needed assistance to get off the field, and after being examined in the sideline medical tent, he was carted to the locker room. Love came off the field shaking his throwing hand and could not finish the series.”
Watson is third on the Packers with 29 receptions for 620 yards and 2 touchdowns and leads the team at 21.4 yards per reception. Later reports indicated Watson likely tore his ACL and is out for the season.
Love One of NFL’s Elite Young Quarterbacks
It’s tough to see the Packers being able to handle the NFL’s best defense in Philadelphia without all of its top offensive weapons working at close to 100 percent, with Love at the top of the list.
The Packers selected Love in the first round (No. 26 overall) of the 2020 NFL draft out of Utah State and he sat the bench for the first 3 seasons behind 4-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers before taking over as the starter after Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets before the 2023 season.
In his first season as a starter, Love was electric, throwing for 3,320 yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as he led the Packers to an upset road win over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Round.
The Packers rewarded Love by making him the highest paid player in NFL history at the time with a 4-year, $220 million contract extension that included a $75 million signing bonus and $150 million in guaranteed money.
Eagles Should Still Expect Love to Play
While his Week 18 injury almost certainly won’t keep him out in the playoffs, it’s still a cause for concern for Love, who was already facing an uphill battle against a blistering Eagles pass rush and a stifling secondary.
“By video, right elbow contusion … Possible ‘funny bone’ … No structural worry … Expect next week to be a go,” FOX Sports injury expert Dr. David Chao wrote on his official X account.
Watson’s season started with an injury in a loss to the Eagles in Week 1 of the regular season, falling 34-29 in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Watson sprained his MCL on the final drive and missed 2 games — the first time he’s missed due to injury in his career.
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Eagles Get Shocking Injury News on NFC Wild Card Opponent